With all the attention slip and fall accidents on New York City sidewalks get in the wintertime, it’s often easy to overlook the dangers on pedestrian and bike paths across the numerous bridges throughout the Five Boroughs. In the winter months, snow and ice can make the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, and Queensboro Bridges extremely hazardous.
Like the road surface of the bridges, the pedestrian and bike paths are under the supervision of the NYC DOT. Unfortunately for pedestrians and cyclists in the city, these travel routes are not a priority during storms-or even days afterward. While crews are busy removing snow and pounding down salt and sand to mitigate icing in the streets, the pathways across the city’s bridges often remain untouched-creating slippery conditions for the thousands of commuters who regularly use them.
Typical injuries related to snowy sidewalks in New York City include torn ligaments and muscles, and broken bones. Nationwide nearly 2.3 million people went to the ER as a result of non-fatal slip and fall accidents in 2010. An NIH study found that similar visits cost, on average, $1,200. Mending an injury (with surgery or without) can be extremely expensive as well. A broken arm-one of the most common fall-related fractures-costs on average $16,000 to repair-not including lost wages. And if medical hardware needs to come out after a surgical repair, that’s often another $2,000.
Ben Fried, Editor-in-Chief of StreetsBlog, pointed out that NYC DOT was extremely responsive earlier in the season. However, it seems as if they’ve been slowed by these latest storms. In fact, the Williamsburg Bridge has been in poor condition repeatedly since December; called “icy and unbreakable.”
If you or a loved has been injured in a bike or a slip and fall accident in New York on one of the bridges around the city, contact a New York City sidewalk accident attorney immediately. Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel for a free consultation at or 212-385-1122 to learn your rights.